JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: Part Twelve

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Shofar

When the father felt that the house was satisfactory, he would tell his son, to go get his bride. The groom would then take his rams horn and head down the road after his bride. Although it was a romantic gesture to abduct the bride at night, it was not romantic to break into her house to do so. Therefore the bridegroom would use the shofar [1] to warn his bride when he got within shouting distance from her house, which he did.

Parallels to the Church. . .

No one knew the day or the hour of the groom's return but the father. Now where have I heard that before?

v42 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
v43 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
v44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him [2].

When Jesus comes for His bride, He will blow the shofar [3] and we will be taken up in a twinkling of an eye [4].

v6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him [5].

These are the times that we should be listening for that trumpet sound from heaven. We want to be sure, however, that we are ready for His return. It would be a very dangerous thing for Christ to find us not prepared and without any oil for our lamps [6]. Oil always symbolizes the Holy Spirit.

We are living in the last chapter of Acts and we should be preparing ourselves, anticipating the sound of the shofar and the shout from above. This will signal the return of Jesus Christ, our betrothed when we (the entire body), will be whisked away to the huppah, there to be completed in marriage to Jesus Christ who is our Lord, master, savior, redeemer, and husband.

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[1] Hollowed out rams horn
[2] Matthew 24:36, 42-44
[3] The shofar was a ram’s horn and used for trumpeting.
[4] 1 Corinthians 15:22
[5] Matthew 25:6
[6] They had to replenish the oil in the lamps every fifteen minutes, so they had to be sure that there was plenty of oil for the trip to the groom’s house. Matthew 25:1-13

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